Do No Harm tells the story of two reluctant whistleblowers in a small Georgia town who endure relentless attacks as they struggle to draw national attention to hospital corruption and the plight of the uninsured.

At the center of this story is Phoebe Putney, a non-profit hospital in Albany, Georgia whose influence is felt by most residents - everyone knows someone who works at Phoebe, owes Phoebe money, or who has been to the hospital for treatment. In 2003, Dr. John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg stumble upon evidence that the hospital is overcharging uninsured and indigent patients and is using aggressive collections tactics to recover costs. Their subsequent investigation uncovers millions of dollars in offshore bank accounts and lucrative for-profit businesses under the control of the non-profit hospital - not only at Phoebe, but also at non-profit hospitals around the country. And shockingly – this is all entirely legal.

When these discoveries become public, Bagnato and Rehberg become the targets of threats and intimidation, and are eventually prosecuted by local authorities for blowing the whistle on the hospital's practices.  With their reputations and livelihoods on the line, Bagnato and Rehberg must confront what they’re willing to sacrifice to bring about justice.

Do No Harm is a production of The Kindling Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating documentary films that explore critical social issues and channeling them into powerful tools for community engagement and change. We provide independent and emerging filmmakers with an environment that supports meaningful productions, maximizes their impact with strong outreach, and fosters connections between media makers and the broader community.

For more information about The Kindling Group and its other films, please click here.

Rebecca Schanberg, Producer, Director.
Schanberg was the Associate Producer of A Doula Story (PBS 2005) and coordinated the national educational outreach campaign for the film. Prior to joining Kindling, she was Director of Corporate Philanthropy at Polo Ralph Lauren, where she managed the corporation's charitable giving program and helped create and run the company's widely publicized "Pink Pony Campaign." She has also worked as a Community and Women's Liaison in The Office of the Manhattan Borough President under Ruth Messinger, and as a Team Leader and Program Designer for City Year, a national urban peace corps. Do No Harm is her first directorial effort.

Daniel Alpert, Executive Producer.
Alpert, Executive Director of The Kindling Group, is a producer, director and editor whose films have aired on PBS, HBO and A&E, among others. Alpert is currently producing The Calling, a groundbreaking four-hour documentary series that shares the journeys of Muslims, Christians and Jews who have decided to enter the clergy. The Calling has been funded by ITVS, PBS, CPB and others and will air nationally in 2010. His most recent film, A Doula Story, documented one woman's fierce commitment to empower pregnant teenagers with the skills and knowledge they need to become confident, nurturing mothers. This film was distributed to PBS stations nationwide and was the centerpiece of a national community engagement and education campaign. Previously, Alpert co-produced and edited Legacy, a feature length documentary for HBO, which was nominated for a 2001 Academy Award and Emmy Award for Best Documentary Feature and was an official selection at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.

Susanne Suffredin, Editor, Co-Producer.
Suffredin has been editing feature and documentary films for 20 years. Working for Kartemquin Films, she served as Post-Production Supervisor of Hoop Dreams and Contributing Producer and Editor for 5 Girls, which aired on the PBS series P.O.V. in 2001. Recent editing credits include the feature films The Rest of Your Life, winner of the audience prize at the Angelciti Film Festival and Prefontaine, produced by Hollywood Pictures. Suffredin was also Editor and Post-Production Supervisor for the feature film Sacred Hearts, screened at the New Directors series at the Lincoln Center. She edited A Doula Story (PBS 2005) for The Kindling Group, and is currently editing The Calling.

Dana M. Kupper, Cinematographer.
Kupper has been an active member of the independent filmmaking community in Chicago for over 15 years. She was one of the main Directors of Photography for Stevie, a feature documentary by Steve James, Director of the critically acclaimed Hoop Dreams. Stevie won the ‘Excellence in Cinematography for a Feature Length Documentary' Award at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. She was Cinematographer for the feature documentary 5 Girls, and shot for the documentary series The New Americans, both of which aired on PBS. A Doula Story, which recently aired on PBS, was also partly filmed by Kupper.